India also went on an overdrive in expanding its military engagement with like-minded countries in its neighbourhood and beyond in the face of China's relentless attempts to become a regional hegemon and establish its primacy in South Asia.
Delayed by 10 days due to cyclone Biparjoy, southwest monsoon is likely to progress further and hit Mumbai between June 23 and 25, the India meteorological department said on Wednesday.
India is increasingly a willing participant in the evolving US' Indo-Pacific strategy. While these developments are related to the perception of a growing Chinese security challenge, their implications for India's much-vaunted strategic autonomy should be a matter of deeper and closer reflection, asserts former foreign secretary Shyam Saran.
While there was a brief respite from the incessant downpour on Tuesday, collaborative efforts from the defence, national, and state disaster response forces took the lead in executing rescue and relief operations.
West Bengal and Odisha have evacuated lakhs of people from vulnerable areas to safety as severe cyclonic storm 'Yaas' is nearing the coast and is expected to make landfall near Dhamra Port in Bhadrak district early on Wednesday morning.
'Areas within 100 km of the landfall could suffer catastrophic effect.'
Champions Manchester City slipped to a shock first Premier League defeat of the season at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, while Manchester United's campaign of woe continued with a loss to Crystal Palace.
Images from the Premier League matches played on Saturday.
It said the weather system was expected to intensify into a deep depression by 5.30 am on Wednesday and turn into Cyclone Mocha in the next 12 hours, packing wind speeds of 80-90 kmph and gusting to 100 kmph.
China on Saturday began military exercises around Taiwan to test the capabilities of its forces to 'seize control of the sea, air and information', days after a meeting between the United States House Speaker and the President of the self-ruled island in defiance of repeated threats by Beijing.
BPCL's impending privatisation and RIL's stake sale to Saudi Aramco raise questions about the future of the West Coast Refinery, once touted as the world's largest.
'Very severe cyclonic storm Biparjoy at 2330 hrs IST of 9th June over east-central Arabian Sea near lat 16.0N & long 67.4E. Likely to intensify further & move north-northeastwards during the next 24hrs,' the IMD said in a tweet.
The cyclone is expected to intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday, a home ministry statement said.
Relief Commissioner Alok Pandey told reporters that the government is constantly working to ensure that there is no loss of life due to the weather phenomenon.
Cyclone Biparjoy made landfall near Jakhau Port in Gujarat on Thursday evening with a wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph as heavy rains lashed the coastal region, where several areas plunged into darkness due to power cuts and a large number of trees, electric poles and hoardings got uprooted.
The US has realised that China is cutting lucrative deals in South America as more nations are joining Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative.
Australia's state of Victoria will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games due to projected cost overruns.
The first IIT campus outside India will come up in Tanzania's Zanzibar and it is expected to launch academic programmes in October, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
Bournemouth said their search for a new manager would begin immediately and first team coach Gary O'Neil would take over in the interim. They host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Wednesday.
Authorities were on their toes in Banaskantha and Patan districts and relocated thousands of people residing in low-lying areas to safer places, they said.
A United States fighter jet Friday shot down an object, the size of a small car, flying with payloads at a height of about 40,000 feet off the northern coast of Alaska on the direction of President Joe Biden, officials said.
Several trains under the purview of SER and ECoR were cancelled or diverted on Wednesday, including the premium Rajdhani Express and Vande Bharat Express, owing to the blockade by members of the Kurmi community in Jharkhand and Odisha, officials said.
Sent in to bat, North Zone couldn't get any momentum and were reduced to 17 for two in 6 overs.
The cyclone would bring light to moderate rains at most places and 'heavy to very heavy downpour' at some places on November 6.
Commander Abhilash Tomy, a retired Naval officer, has become the first Indian to complete the prestigious Golden Globe Race. He finished second in the race, a solo around-the-world sailing race, which started on September 4, 2022 from Les Sables-d'Olonne in France.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday
The system, which moved towards Bangladesh from north Bay of Bengal at a speed of 56 kmph caused moderate to heavy rain and squally weather in West Bengal's coastal districts of South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas and Purba Medinipur, dampening festive spirits on Deepavali and Kali Puja.
Scientists had earlier said the cyclone pulled the moisture and convection, impacting the intensity of the monsoon and delaying its onset over Kerala.
A red alert indicates heavy to extremely heavy rains of over 20 cm in 24 hours, while an orange alert means very heavy rains of 6 cm to 20 cm of rain.
The cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday evening as a 'very severe cyclonic storm' with maximum wind speed reaching up to 150 kilometres per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The weather system moved west-northwestward and concentrated into a depression on Saturday at 8.30am, close to west of Andaman Islands, the bulletin said.
Hashim Amla struck an unbeaten half-century as South Africa brushed aside some early alarms to record a six wicket victory over Pakistan on day three of the first Test at Centurion Park on Friday.
Favourites Ivory Coast step back into the African Nations Cup spotlight on Sunday, spoilt for choice as they meet Nigeria in the quarter-finals in Rustenburg.
Manchester City were confirmed as English Premier League champions for the fifth time in six seasons on Saturday without even having to kick a ball.
Granit Xhaka hammered two goals in what is expected to be his last game as Arsenal clinched a 5-o win over Wolves.
South Africa won their first game at the World Cup, beating Afghanistan by nine wickets (DLS). Imran Tahir finished with figures of 4 for 29, the best figures by a spinner in the tournament so
'With butterflies in our stomachs, but confident of our mission, we took off for Jaffna on the morning of 24 July 1987.' IAF Veteran Air Commodore Nitin Sathe recalls a conversation with Air Vice Marshal Harpal Singh Ahluwalia (retd), then a wing commander and mission leader for the clandestine operation.
The Barge Ibis, a 2964 GRT vessel with a length of 65.58 metre and breadth of 32 metres, with 27 crew, was engaged in operations to prevent sea erosion,south of Old Port Mangalore.
Taking strict action, the Coast Guard has ordered a Board of Inquiry against the commanding officer and crew of its warship which collided with a fishing trawler killing two fishermen off the coast of Goa on Thursday.
The Indian couple was on a four-day cruise on the Spectrum of the Seas which was on the way back to Singapore from Penang on Monday morning when the 70-year-old Jakesh woke up to find his wife missing from their room.
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